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Join the Sierra Club and Get Up & Go Durham on April 10th, 2010 at 9:00 AM for our annual neighborhood hike through East Campus, West Durham & beyond. This walking tour will be narrated by our local history lover John Schelp.

Saturday, April 10 at 9:00 AM
Meet at Markham & Buchanan

Was Duke Chapel really going to be built in Walltown? What Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist went to EK Powe school? What song writer for Nora Jones and Lou Rawls was “born on a kitchen table” behind Magnolia Grill? Why is Ninth Street called Ninth Street? Where did Madonna take early dance lessons?

Come along and find out…

1920 Street Map: Trinity College is shown on the right while the Erwin Cotton Mill is on the left (where the three railroad spurs extend north into the mills). The West Durham mill village is north, west and south of the mills. Walltown and Trinity Heights are north of the college while Trinity Park lies to the east. Courtesy of Durham County Library.

The 4-mile loop starts at Markham & Buchanan (at the old City limits).

We’ll start by walking past the homes of Duke’s famous faculty and coaches on Buchanan, including the father of Duke basketball. We’ll go down Watts Street, past Trinity Park park, and then walk across East Campus to Ninth Street.

We’ll stroll up Ninth, past EK Powe, and see the South Ellerbe Creek Nature Area. We’ll walk through an old mill village, see some old liquor houses and a parsonage that was ordered from the Sears catalogue. We’ll continue up Oakland, past Oval Park, and Indian Trail Park in the Watts-Hillandale neighborhood.

We’ll head east along the West Ellerbe Trail in the 17-acre wood, then walk past the old Watts Hospital and cross Club Blvd (near 9th Street). We’ll go down a hidden alley, head over to Walltown and hear about Duke’s original plans to build here. Then through Trinity Heights and back to where we began.

You’ll see a little nature and learn some Durham history along the way. We might even get into current events in the Bull City.

Local history lover John Schelp will narrate along the way. You don’t have to register. Parking is available on streets near Markham and Buchanan.

2008 Walking tour. Image courtesy of Ildar Sagdejev

Co-sponsored by the Sierra Club and Get Up & Go Durham.

Please visit the History of Old West Durham website for more information.